Colombia President Juan Manuel Santos is enjoying a comfortable lead over other candidates running to become the South American country’s president in the 2014 elections, the second poll this week confirmed on Tuesday.
According to Datexco, one of Colombia’s four pollsters, Santos would receive 36.1% of the votes if the first round of elections were held tomorrow and all of the unofficial candidates take part in the presidential race.
Poll results virtual 1st round
Datexco confirmed a trend first published on Tuesday by competitor Ipsos Napoleon Franco on Tuesday.
MORE: Santos comfortably ahead in 1st poll after announcing reelection bid
In the latest poll, the candidate closest to the president is Oscar Ivan Zuluaga. The candidate for former President Alvaro Uribe’s Uribe Democratic Center party can count on the support of 11.9% of the interviewees.
Third is leftist candidate and former Bogota interim-Mayor Clara Lopez (6.3%), followed closely by former Bogota mayor Enrique Peñalosa (6.2%) and guerrilla-turned-governor Antonio Navarro (5.0).
Conservative Party candidate Marta Lucia Ramirez, an electoral veteran, received only 1.5% of those taking part in the poll. Aida Abella, candidate for the communist Patriotic Union party received 0.9% of the votes.
The poll failed to ask for blank votes, but instead asked who would vote for none of the above. According to Datexco, 20.3% of the polled voters said to not vote for any of the candidates.
If a second round is necessary as the polls suggest, the most promising opponent to challenge Santos would be Peñalosa. The center Green Party candidate would lose the second round 44.1% to 29.3%.
Zuluaga’s chances are more slim; the “Uribista” candidate would receive 28.8% of the votes against the 45.5% of Santos.
Colombia will hold two elections next year; The congressional elections will be held in March, followed by the presidential election in May.